Common - Finding Forever

Firstly, I thought I'd mention that I went to see GZA live in London last week, and it was an excellent experience - props to the DJ and MC that went up before him too, that was also great!

More importantly, I want to warn readers not to expect to much from me in the next five weeks - I've got a lot of college work to focus on, and I have to make that my priority now so that I can do this journalism thing in the future full time. Hopefully new readers can go through my backlog in the meantime. And thanks for all the views I've been getting! - shout out to everyone who's read my blog or shown support, I appreciate you. But yeah, expect this one to be the last for a short while - I blame my little time on myself for choosing graphics design as an A Level! 

Anyhow, enjoy the review. 

In 2005, Common teamed up with Kanye West (and J Dilla) to release Be, one of the greatest albums ever created. The LP was perfect from start to finish in my opinion, with incredible production from Kanye throughout that showcased the absolute best of the man's production work at the time (yes, even better than what he had on The College Dropout and Late Registration), and some of the best lyrics, flows and vocal deliveries we'd yet had from the man who had already given us multiple classics with such projects as Resurrection and Like Water For Chocolate. I find it crazy how Common had already cemented a strong legacy as one of the best to ever do it, only to then top all of his previous work, just because he could. I mean, can you see Kendrick topping To Pimp a Butterfly in the near future? Because that's the modern equivalent of what Common did with Be. It was a true masterpiece, and served to continue one of the greatest album runs the genre had had the fortune to see. 

There was only one problem - what would Common do to follow that up?

Well, for starters he had to team up with Kanye again - he had never worked with one producer or group for just one album so far (No I.D.had produced his first three, and The Soulquarians the two after that), and he wasn't about to start that with his most successful project yet. No, Kanye was to stay behind the boards, but this time he did enlist the help of a few others - J Dilla got one production credit (one less than on Be), but so did will.i.am (great), Derrick Hodge and Devo Springsteen, and Karriem Riggins too if you count the UK bonus track (which I do, for obvious reasons). Still, despite this the overwhelming majority was handled by West, but he had something different in mind for the sonics of Com's new album this time around. 2006 was the year of J Dilla's tragic passing, and in his memory Ye attempted to channel the sound of Dilla for the new LP, rather than his own chipmunk soul style. From what I see, this was the case... sometimes. Anyhow, the producers were all set then, and as for features Common enlisted Lily Allen, D'Angelo and Kanye, but also a bunch of singers who go completely uncredited - this is sadly the norm with a lot of rap releases around this time. He named the new effort Finding Forever, and made the album cover as ridiculous as he possibly could in order to juxtapose the simplicity of the art for Be (well, this wasn't the actual reason, but given the artwork presented to us on this CD that could well have been the thinking behind it). And there we had it. The much fabled follow-up to Be, released just two years later. 

And shit, the hype was high. Kanye himself was gearing up for release of his own solo effort Graduation around the time Finding Forever came out, and with that the sales battle with a certain Curtis Jackson that became one of the most important musical events of the 2000s decade. Meanwhile, Common was coming off the tails of one of the most highly regarded hip-hop albums ever released - it's no wonder this thing charted at no. 1 on the Billboard 200, although it is a shame that this is his only project to do so. Well, I guess there are consequences to pay when you release something like Universal Mind Control. 

Still, no self respecting hip-hop fan actually cares about the charts. The real question is - is the music any good? And would Common be able to create a worthy follow up to the timeless Be without completely copying its formula? Well, I guess there's only one way to find out...

What do you mean "what way is that"? By reading this review, silly!

1. Intro (prod. Derrick Hodge)

Common gets things going with a beautiful instrumental intro which has so many great moments in it I can't even count. This is seriously one of the best instrumental tracks on a rap album ever. Jesus. 

2. Start the Show (prod. Kanye West)

After a sick transition culminating in Kanye jump-scaring us for the beginning of the chorus, the first actual song comes in, and it's one that musically sounds very different to the stuff we heard on Be. While that album was filled to the brim with chipmunk soul, old-school drums and beautiful instrumentation, this instrumental is a culmination of some electronic sound effects that actually comes together far more smoothly than you might expect. It also helps that the beat is exactly the kind of music that you would expect to hear based on this space-themed cover art. The instrumental also changes into something more menacing for the chorus (provided by Kanye), and it's arguably even better than what we get to hear in the verses. As for Common, he's pretty bloody good too - I mean, most of the rhymes are pretty much just braggadocios or referential, but I enjoy his delivery and flow a lot, and there are some nice lines throughout too ("I been a Master since P was no limitin'"). This song is a fantastic way to start this album. 

3. The People (prod. Kanye West)

Classic Common. This was one of the singles released for this project, and features Kanye creating an admittedly Dilla-esque beat that sounds like absolute Heaven for the ears - I mean, the sampling throughout this thing is absolutely perfect, and the instrumental switches around a lot throughout too, showcasing the creativity that the man had back then. Not that Common's producers have ever been drab, but still. As for our host, he delivers an absolutely heartfelt performance with great lyrics and a steady flow that aren't necessarily the absolute pinnacle of the man's work, but do showcase his style very strongly. If you're trying to get someone into Common, then this better be in the five songs you suggest for them (along with "I Used to Love H.E.R.", "Be (Intro)", "A Song For Assata" and "Invocation" if you ask me). Dwele also pops up for a hook here, which is very pleasant - why he doesn't get the credit, only the record executives know. Bastards. 

4. Drivin' Me Wild (feat. Lily Allen) (prod. Kanye West)

Another single for this album, this one actually surprisingly radio friendly - this might well be the most poppy tune in the entire Common catalogue. That's not to say it's bad, though - in fact, this percussion heavy instrumental is really great, and Lily Allen does a nice job with the chorus (even if the engineer did forget to cut out Kanye's reference vocals from the background). Common gets down to business with these verses too, which detail people just trying too hard to fit in and going crazy because of it. The subject matter is pretty interesting, and Common does a nice job tackling it. If this song weren't so bubblegum I'd probably be able to enjoy it even more, but as it is it's still definitely a nice, relaxing tune to appear on this album. Also, Common's moves in the video are funny as hell, you've gotta watch that. 

5. I Want You (prod. will.i.am)

On the back cover here Will isn't credited as a feature despite his vocals - oddly he is listed as a feature on the hype sticker though. I guess will.i.am's name was a tricky one back then - sure to throw as many people off as it did put on. This song right here is, as you could probably have predicted from the title, a love song, albeit one with a strangely creepy air about it thanks to will.i.am's instrumental, which is actually really bloody good if we're being honest here. His vocals on the hook are also nice, even if the trademark silly robot voice slightly takes us out of the experience. Common's lyrics on here are about a love he lost (Erykah Badu? Possibly), and they're also pretty good, with some strong lines - "I spent many years tryna be a heart throb / I guess it's only right that my heart got robbed". That alone makes up for rhyming "I need your warm" three times in a row. This is honestly one of the best of the mid-2000s will.i.am team ups with actual hip-hop artists (others include Nas' "Hip Hop Is Dead", Game's "Compton" and Murs' "Lookin' Fly"). It's a great track.

6. Southside (feat. Kanye West) (prod. Kanye West)

Technically the third vocal appearance from West on this album (if we count his subtle background contribution on "Drivin' Me Wild"), but the first and only that he actually gets the feature credit for. I guess it would look stupid if his name was plastered all over the track names here. This song is structured like a back and forth where each artist has eight bars to talk their shit before the other guy comes in - only difference is that there's a chorus after every eight bars where Common shouts "South!" and Kanye shouts "side!". Problem is that this chorus isn't entirely successful thanks to the latter, who wails his vocal like he's getting repeated smacks in the nutsack. The verses, however, are bloody sick, as both artists show great personality, and keep seriousness and humour in check throughout. Honestly there isn't a bad moment in these verses, and the relentless nature of the guitar-heavy instrumental on here helps keep things up. I also love the ending, which is quite drawn out and dramatic, and sounds just great. And if Ye's "la la la"'s don't get stuck in your head then I think you need your ears tested. This joint is scorching hot, man. 

7. The Game (prod. Kanye West)

So for this one, it seems that Kanye has stopped trying to sound like Dilla, and started trying to sound like DJ Premier - Preemo's presence in the studio providing scratches on this song may have helped with that. This song rocks, proving a theory that Common songs beginning with "The" are bound to be great - how can you possibly argue with "The Light", "The 6th Sense", "The Questions", "The Hustle" "The Corner", "The Food", "The People" and this?? Crazy stuff, man. This is definitely the most hardcore track on the album, and the more "aggressive" song that was noticeable for me on every Common album from Electric Circus to Let Love (prior to Electric Circus his aggressive cuts were more, err, common). The bars on here are nice as hell ("kickback records get kicked to the back", "five year olds walk by themselves in the street / the young die of cancer, I stop eating meat"), and Kanye's instrumental is fucking incredible. Easily one of the best tracks on an already stacked album. 

8. U, Black Maybe (prod. Kanye West)

Com teams up with Bilal for one of their many collaborations - although for some stupid reason even he doesn't get the credit on the back cover of this CD. And that's a huge shame, because Bilal's performance on this track is utterly phenomenal - not that any of the contributors here are slacking. This is one of the more underrated gems on this record - Kanye's instrumental on this one is beautifully soulful and yet still maintains the spacey atmosphere that this album goes for, and Common's verses are without doubt some of the absolute best on the whole record. I mean, that second verse contains some of the best storytelling of the man's career. Com also attempts a bit of his own spoken word at the end of this one, and even that part of the song is pretty damn enjoyable. This song is absolutely incredible, and easily one of the stronger cuts here. 

9. So Far To Go (feat. D'Angelo) (prod. DILLA)

Ooh, I'm going to get some stick for this one. See, contrary to most people, I'm really not the greatest fan of this song. In fact, I think it's the weakest cut here by some margin, which is pretty mental considering that it's the only cut here produced by the real J Dilla, rather than Kanye openly imitating him. First of all, I'm not the hugest fan of D'Angelo personally, or male falsetto R&B singers in general if I'm being honest - I didn't care too much for the man's work on "Geto Heaven Part Two", and I'm certainly not loving his efforts here either. Now, J Dilla's instrumental on this track is alright, but it seems overwhelmingly drab in comparison with the experimental, exciting nature of songs like "The People" and "Southside". It also fails to hit me right in the heart like the beat on "U, Black Maybe", which I think is what he was going for here. Common is the main focus though (well, he is here - this song originally appeared on Dilla's album The Shining), and even he doesn't do that well in my opinion. The opening lyrics "shorty, you know that you the most / important, at least on the west coast" are not only stupid, but also flow terribly, and the rest of the track doesn't do much better, with lyrics covering a similar topic to what we had in "I Want You", only it's less interesting because he hasn't lost the girl yet. I have no desire to disrespect the three artists on this song - we all know I love Common, Dilla is still one of my favourite producers, and D'Angelo is undeinably influential if not my cup of tea. Still, I'm not one to cover my opinion - this song really does nothing for me. 

10. Break My Heart (prod. Kanye West)

Kanye cooks up a soft and groovy instrumental for this one that Common should excel over, but truthfully our host never impresses me on this cut. His flow is very simplistic, yet still frequently disjointed throughout the track, and my God are some of these bars weak. "Get deep in love and then you needing some oxygen", or worse, "your clothes are tight, but you don't seem gay / I said nah, that's dude from NSYNC- ayy". I mean, that latter one just seems unreasonably spiteful, and adding the "ayy" on the end makes the listener think Common was just desperate to make a dig at the guy, since there's no real rhyme there. It's a shame, because the sampling in the chorus here sounds excellent, and I really enjoy the beat too - it's truly a sad day when Common of all people is the one to ruin a song like this.

11. Misunderstood (prod. Devo Springsteen)

After the silly love song that was "Break My Heart", Common gets serious again for a song about how some people from the areas he grew up in are misunderstood, and how their frowned upon lifestyles weren't chosen by choice. Kanye lets his cousin Devo Springsteen have a go at producing for this one, and he chops up a live version of Nina Simone's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" to make for a surprisingly fantastic beat, that Common does his thing over, showcasing very strong storytelling abilities on his two verses, both of which are very well-written (even if he effectively calls himself talentless in the second verse, unintentionally that is). Bilal shows up at the end of the song too for a very creepy refrain before the sampled chorus kicks back in, and that might well be the track's best moment. This song is a much needed return to form after the iffy previous two cuts.

12. Forever Begins (prod. Kanye West)

Said return to form is short-lived however, as we are now on the final song of the album. Dammit! Still, I think we can all agree it's a pretty damn good way to end things. The instrumental from Kanye is incredibly powerful on here, with great and very unique percussion, and powerful instrumentation to create the perfect soundscape for Common to drop some esoteric verses with some pretty memorable lines like "no matter how high I elevate, I kiss the floor". Meanwhile, the choir on the chorus do a great job, and once again Common's dad pops in at the end for a long bit of spoken word that works very well. There isn't much else other to say than this song is probably the best way this album could possibly have been ended off. It's utterly fantastic. 

Unfortunately for me, "Forever Begins" doesn't end things off - instead, my pressing of the album finishes with the following bonus track. 

13. Play Your Cards Right (feat. Bilal) (prod. Karriem Riggins)

This song was originally featured on the soundtrack to the film Smokin' Aces, but I guess Common thought it was good enough to be included here too - and he was probably right, as this is indeed a very enjoyable song. The triumphant instrumental from Karriem Riggins sounds completely opposite to what we've heard on the rest of this album, sure, but it still sounds good, and Common's passionate performance really elevates this one to a new level during the verses. My main issue with this one is the hook - I think Bilal is a great singer, but the melody for this chorus is annoyingly catchy, meaning it gets stuck in your head without it actually being very good at all. It's not a huge issue, though - hell, I still enjoy the song a lot, and that's definitely enough for me. 

Finding Forever concludes what is surely one of the best album runs hip-hop has ever seen. From Resurrection way back in 1994 to this album I'm reviewing today, Common had reinvented his sound with every album without ever really being unsuccessful at doing so - I'm not saying that there weren't bad songs in there (Electric Circus definitely had a few clunkers), but for the most part each musical movement made by Common in this period was an absolute treat to experience. This was a fantastic run, and one I honestly think deserves a lot more praise from the hip-hop community. Still, I'll probably cover this run more in a later post - for now, let's do an overview of Finding Forever. Because man does it deserve one. While there are a couple of tracks in the second half that fall flat in my opinion, for the most part this album continues Common's creative streak, showcasing not only some fantastic writing, but also some of Kanye West's best production work of this era too. A lot of people are quick to claim that this is just a weak version of Be, but it's definitely not if you ask me - this album has a much different sound to that project, with only a couple of tracks following the formulas we saw on that effort. I'm not saying that this album is as good as Be, because it definitely isn't - but I do think it deserves more of a chance as it's own album, rather than the fabled follow up to (in my opinion) one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever released. The highs on here are monstrously good (I don't know where that came from, but I'll leave it in), with cuts like "The People" and "The Game" being among Common's strongest, and some of the songs towards the back half are beautiful too, such as "U, Black Maybe" and "Forever Begins". But another thing is that this album is so cohesive - yes it has phenomenal highs, but they don't take away from the other tracks on here, instead enhancing them as part of the body of work. Common and Kanye were on their a-games here, and even though nostalgia might be a factor in this, I'd still like to say that this is an excellent album and deserving of your time. It's not quite a classic, but for how bloody good Be is, I think they really did do their best with this one. This album is brilliant. 

Best Tracks: Start the Show, The People, Southside, The Game, U Black Maybe, Misunderstood, Forever Begins

Worst Tracks: So Far To Go

Any more Common, you ask? Why yes there is.

Pharoahe Monch - Desire

In 1999, Pharoahe Monch released one of my favourite hip-hop albums of all time, Internal Affairs. Fresh off some highly praised albums as part of Organised Konfusion (with Prince Po), Pharoahe entered the solo game on the highly regarded Rawkus Records, and what came out of this partnership was a project full of brilliant punchlines, excellent flows, passionate deliveries, catchy hooks, and some of the dopest production to be found anywhere in the late '90s. Heck, even the feature list was phenomenal. Internal Affairs was and is a masterpiece of hip-hop, one that is recognised today as having some of the sharpest performances on the mic ever. And so you can imagine the disappointment one would feel when it turned out Pharaohe wouldn't release another album for eight goddamn years. Dammit!

Of course, we can't blame this on Monch entirely - not only did he already have an extensive number of performances under his belt as part of Organised Konfusion, but also his label was slowly but surely going down the pan as the early 2000s rolled past. He did manage to score a minor hit in this time, with a Mos Def/Nate Dogg collaboration "Oh No" that appeared on one of Rawkus' many compilation albums, but unfortunately the label itself was slowly but surely revealing itself as a money hungry corporation that was out to turn its fantastic artists into mainstream tragedies. Thankfully, the plan didn't work, and most artists (see Mos Def, El-P, Talib Kweli etc.) left before this could happen. Monch was among these, and after a short time period without a deal, in 2006 he hooked up with major label Universal Motown. His mixtape The Awakening followed shortly after, and finally in June of 2007 (right as the infamous 50 Cent vs Kanye sales battle was beginning) he was able to release a follow up album to the incredible Internal Affairs. And thank God it wasn't Internal Affairs 2. No, this album was called Desire, and clearly it was a different beast entirely. 

The album cover itself here could bring up memories of a certain Internal Affairs, since it features Pharoahe sporting gear over his face to appear as though he's a body double from The Mummy or The Invisible Man - of course, Internal Affairs featured him interpolating another famous film - Apocalypse Now. However, the colour schemes themselves that are present on this album cover appear to be completely different - that album had dark reds and blacks, but this cover looks far tamer in terms of its colours. It's paler and non-confrontational, and that does admittedly transition over to the music on here, which is less hardcore and more conscious than what appeared on Internal Affairs. The feature list on this thing looks interesting too - there are no MCs dropping verses on here (although Mr. Porter shows up a couple of times for singing duties). Instead, we get appearances from Showtyme, Mela Machinko, Erykah Badu, Dwele, Tone and something called "Tower Of Power" - aside from the latter these guys and gals have all worked with rappers before, but none of them would warrant the stamp of a "hip-hop artist" in any case. The producer list looks a little stronger though - The Alchemist, Black Milk, Lee Stone, Mr. Porter and Pharoahe himself all show up for beats here, alongside some artists I'm not so familiar with, like Davel "Bo" McKenzie and Grind Music. Interesting stuff. 

Surprisingly, this was the first Pharoahe Monch album I ever heard, after I picked it up at an Oxfam one day during a free period at college. But was it a worthy introduction, or an album that turned out to pale in comparison to its predecessor? Let's take a look. 

1. Intro (prod. T. Jamerson)

In case you're wondering, Todd Jamerson is Pharoahe Monch's real name, and that is how he's credited for production throughout the booklet. This intro serves the purpose of introducing the concept of the next track, and with that in mind it's fine - did it really need to be a separate track though? Because I really don't think it did. 

2. Free (prod. Davel "Bo" McKenzie AKA 99 Fingaz, co-prod. Kellen "J. Clyde" Ford)

The first actual song on here features Pharoahe spitting over a beat produced by two people I've never heard of (or at least their names don't ring a bell - and admittedly they're not exactly ones to stick in the mind), and surprisingly it's fucking dope. The beat here is triumphant and works excellently with the sample that recites the chorus, and to top that off Pharoahe seems just as sharp as ever on the mic. His bars mostly are about relating the mainstream rap industry to slavery, with some pretty interesting comparisons in there, and with a little bragging in there too for good measure. Some of these bars could seem a little over the top (like when he insinuates that every time you clear a sample the money goes to the KKK), but that doesn't change the overall strength of his message. The chorus isn't my favourite on the album, but it does it's job, and the beat and verses really are quite incredible. This is a brilliant way to start things up. 

3. Desire (feat. Showtyme) (prod. The Alchemist)

The Alchemist pops up for the second (and sadly final) time on a Pharoahe album for this cut that incorporates some pretty interesting M.O.P. samples - interesting because the song Al did on the last album actually featured the Mash Out Posse. The rest of this song is fairly similar to the opener, only it's shockingly even better. Alchemist's triumphant instrumental is absolutely excellent, with rich instrumentation and a lovely melody, meanwhile Showtyme's singing in the chorus is as passionate as you could ask from someone with such a ridiculous stage name. The real star of the show here, however, has to be Pharoahe himself, who drops two verses filled with some dope-ass wordplay that reaches the extraordinary height that is "'cause Pharoahe is a monarch without the A&R". That might just be one of the greatest bars ever written in recorded history. Yes, "I protect my name like your anus in prison" was rather stupid, but other than that Pharoahe absolutely kills this one. This track is honestly one of the best of its year - dope shit right here. 

4. Push (feat. Showtyme, Mela Machinko & Tower Of Power) (prod. T. Jamerson)

Probably the weirdest song on here, although that was most likely evident from the feature list, which doesn't really look like it belongs on a hip-hop album at all. The track isn't really a hip-hop song either, though, with the only evidence that it is being in Pharoahe's verse at the end. Before that, we have to sit through some singing from the first two of the guests listed above, and they do a pretty good job over some more triumphant production, this time from Pharoahe himself. This song is cool, the chorus is catchy, and being made to wait for some actual rapping does make me appreciate it that bit more - still, I'm not going to pretend I would play this one outside of the album. Because I really wouldn't. 

5. Welcome To the Terrordome (prod. Grind Music)

Why on Earth would you want to name yourself "Grind Music"? Just... why? Anyhow, the production on here is actually pretty great, and still very triumphant and loud, in keeping with the mood of the last few tracks - the difference here is that it feels more confrontational, as does Pharoahe's flow and delivery throughout the song. And there's a very good reason for that - the first verse is a straight-up cover of Chuck D's opening verse on Public Enemy's classic song "Welcome to the Terrordome"! I mean, the hell? The second verse is one Pharaohe actually wrote, though, and that one's pretty great, even if rhyming "been rotten" and "Bin Laden" feels a bit off somehow. The verse is good, and I love this beat, but that first verse does take away from my enjoyment here. A cover, Pharoahe? Really?

6. What It Is (prod. T. Jamerson, co-prod. Lee Stone)

On the back cover of this album, the tracklist appears over a picture of Pharoahe's face - it's worth noting that while all the previous tracks appeared on his forehead, the rest of the songs from here on appear below his eyes, and there's quite a big gap between the two sections of the project. That's pretty interesting, and it seems that wasn't just a design idea - this album does have a pretty different sound from here on. This track makes this incredibly evident, as instead of rich instruments and triumphant beats, this song is backed by a dark bass and disjointed drums that make for something a hell of a lot dirtier than what we've heard so far. Still, I love it, especially when Pharoahe appears to go mentally insane in the second verse, at least judging by his manic delivery. I mean, that second verse might well be my favourite on the whole album. And while it seems weird at first, the beat here will grow on you by the second. Easily one of the best songs here. 

7. When the Gun Draws (feat. Mr. Porter) (prod. Mr. Porter)

Given some of the more violent lyrics in the previous track, you might have expected this song to be some aggressive shit that's gonna get the listener begging for their life - but no. Instead, this is a social commentary on gun violence in America, where in the verses Pharoahe raps from the perspective of a bullet, dropping lyrical gems such as "killed kings in Tennessee, presidents in Dallas" and "when I kill kids they say shame on me / who the fuck told you to put they names on me?". And Pharoahe's great performance on here is enhanced by Mr. Porter's dark instrumental that sounds exactly like something he would make - imagine Eminem's production work but with a bit more life. Even his weird-ass singing doesn't hurt this one. This right here is a fantastic song. 

8. Let's Go (feat. Mela Machinko) (prod. Black Milk)

After two darker tracks, Pharoahe apparently thinks he needs to lighten things up again, and drops this track that's pretty generic, but still really enjoyable. Black Milk's beat is pretty nice, with a cool melody and rich-sounding instruments (meaning they don't sound cheap), and Pharaohe drops braggadocios and humorous lines throughout this one, with no political diversions like we've seen on the songs beforehand. Mela Machinko's presence is small and not over-the-top, which is great, and also Pharoahe name-drops Busta Rhymes, which I very much appreciate. This isn't essential listening, but for a fun track it's well done. And the skit at the end is bloody hilarious too, you've got to say that. 

9. Body Baby (prod. T. Jamerson)

So remember how I said "Push" was the weirdest song on here? Well, seems like I forgot about this little ditty, a weird seductive type of song that has Pharoahe spitting slowly over a groove with a rock-n-roll style hook that, simply put, sounds stupid as hell. This song is almost like a joke, only one released as a single, and then put on this album. The song is weird as hell, but I don't entirely dislike it - in fact, it's actually pretty enjoyable to me. Pharoahe's always going to be one of my favourite rappers, and the groovy beat isn't half bad either. Yeah, the chorus sucks, but then again this is a rap album from 2007, so to make it this far in with only one whack hook is actually insanely impressive to me. Yeah, this is a decent song. 

10. Bar Tap (feat. Mela Machinko) (prod. Black Milk)

The second and final Black Milk contribution on this project is a far more mellow affair than what we heard on "Let's Go", but it's still pretty interesting, with a melody similar to what we heard on "Star *69 (PS With Love)" from Common's Electric Circus album - anyone else hear that? This track is very similar to "The Light" from Pharoahe's Internal Affairs, as it follows him meeting a girl at a club and getting into a relationship with her - the difference is, he got someone to sing the chorus for him this time, which wasn't necessary really considering his surprisingly stellar hook on "The Light". This song doesn't stand out as much as that classic in the Pharoahe catalogue, but it still works as a fun, relaxing track about meeting a woman at a bar - seriously, I really enjoy this one. It's just so chilled out, and sounds really sweet. Of course, it helps that Pharoahe doesn't stray into misogynistic territory on here, which is an area a lot of rappers seem to helplessly fall into during these types of songs. Yeah, I enjoy this one. 

11. Hold On (feat. Erykah Badu) (prod. Lee Stone)

Pharoahe enlists the album's most notorious guest to assist with this song that tells the story of a young girl who faced racial injustice and bullying when she was young, only to push through it and become her own powerful person. It's a wonderful tale that Pharoahe executes beautifully, despite a "back of your mind like a receding hairline" metaphor (come on, man), and the beautiful production and excellent Erykah performance only help it along. I don't have much more to say - this is a brilliant track. 

12. So Good (prod. T. Jamerson)

A relaxing love cut that's honestly kind of underwhelming if I'm being honest. There's really just not much to enjoy about this one. The self-produced instrumental is pretty laid back, and features a stomp-clap rhythm that doesn't really go anywhere, and Pharoahe's bars are very simplistic - there are also very few of them in the first place. Also, the chorus is bloody annoying. However, I still appreciate this song's placement, as it completes the story of the past few songs. "Body Baby" - Pharoahe wants to meet a girl. "Bar Tap" - Pharoahe does meet a girl, and they get together. "Hold On" - the girl tells Pharoahe about her past and some of her darker memories, showing that she trusts him. "So Good" - the pair are in a happy, loving relationship. That's just my interpretation of the situation anyway. 

13. Trilogy (Act I feat. Mr Porter, Act II feat. Dwele, Act III feat. Tone) (prod. Mr. Porter)

So, I guess he ended up marrying the woman whom he met in "Bar Tap". She then cheated on him, leading him to murder her and the guy she cheated with, who happened to be one of Monch's old friends. That's what I got from this 9 and a half minute epic, anyway, a song that's honestly my favourite on the whole album. The song is split into three parts - in the first, the beat is more conventional for Mr. Porter, with an ominous chorus and a verse where Pharoahe comes home to his wife and friend both dead - the verse reads as though he's just learned of this information, but later in the song it's revealed that this is far from the case. The second part is more mellow, as he details the murder of his friend who cheated, and then the third part has a more upbeat yet still ultimately dark instrumental, where he murders his wife, or perhaps gets someone else to do it for him? I think that's what happens. The story is brilliantly written and incredibly engaging, and Mr. Porter's work on production throughout the track is absolutely perfect too. What a way to end the album, man. Jeez. 

The following song is a hidden track on my pressing of the album. The song begins as track 14, but with a 30 second silence at the start. 

14. Agent Orange (prod. Sa-Ra)

Over a weird synth-laden beat from Sa-Ra that sounds pretty much nothing like the rest of the album, Pharoahe decides to get political again, with lyrics about pissing on the White House lawns and the injustice of chemical warfare in other countries. The song seems like some kind of war cry, with the "Y'all ready to rock? We ready to rock!" bridges exemplifying this - and it works. The beat on here is very exciting, and Pharoahe does a great job with the verses too. Honestly, this could have had a place on the actual album. 

For a guy who hadn't really put out any music for almost eight years, Pharoahe Monch sure as hell did come back with a bang. While not on the level of phenomenal that Internal Affairs was, Desire is still a fantastic and very concise listen, with great concepts, music and rapping throughout. Pharoahe enlisted quite a few vocalists to put in some small contributions on here to enhance and not take away from his own performances, whilst also bringing in some brilliant producers to create rich, soulful, and often absolutely bangin' beats that fit the mood of the lyrics perfectly 100% of the time. Firstly, this album is very diverse. It starts off with some soulful, triumphant, revolutionary tracks about pushing, being free and realising your desires (see what I did there?), before moving into some of the darker, more aggressive content after that with "What It Is" and "When the Gun Draws". After some serious content, we get some fun with "Let's Go" and "Body Baby", the latter of which leads us into a story that makes up the remainder of this tracklist, closing things off with one of the strongest 9 minute songs in existence. I mean, Jesus "Trilogy" was good. And to make the brilliant pacing of this project even better, nearly every song sounds fantastic, with rich production and passionate vocal performances all round from our host and the features. Yes, there are some odd moments, like "Push" and "Body Baby", and sure, you could argue that "So Good" is skippable and I wouldn't contradict, but most of these songs are unquestionably great, filled with lyrical gems, catchy hooks and brilliant production. Seriously, I can't praise this thing enough - it's a great album all round, and any fan of Pharoahe Monch should without doubt check this one out. Pharoahe has always been an astounding rapper, and when you mix that with some truly intriguing concepts the results are bound to be phenomenal. This is truly the best charity shop find I've ever purchased. Nice work, Pharoahe. Nice work. 

Best Tracks: Free, Desire, What It Is, When the Gun Draws, Let's Go, Hold On, Trilogy, Agent Orange

Worst Tracks: So Good

Want more Pharoahe Monch? Go on then.

Tech N9ne - Vintage Tech

After releasing Absolute Power to surprising sales success, retaining the rights to his masterpiece Anghellic, and kickstarting label Strange Music with the help of MSC Entertainment, Kansas City King Tech N9ne was in a pretty good place. He had artists, he had some financial stability, and most importantly he still had creative vision for the future even after creating two of my favourite hip-hop albums of the 2000s decade. Things were looking up, and for the first time Tech felt he could really take his time with crafting an album. His next project Everready [The Religion] was teased many times from as early as 2004, but it wasn't until late 2006 when the album was finally released, four years after Absolute Power. In case you didn't know, that's the longest time Tech has ever taken to release new music by quite some margin - from then on it's difficult to find a year when Tech didn't release two albums and an EP, let alone a year with nothing at all. This truly must have been a weird time for the Technicians. 

Except it wasn't, because of course Tech had to put something out for the fans anyway. 

After spending the year 2004 helping his new signees Kutt Calhoun, Project: Deadman and Skatterman & Snug Brim put out their debut albums through Strange Music, Tech decided that, since it was to be a while before another album of his would be complete, he would open up his vaults and unleash a compilation of previously unreleased tracks into the stratosphere - well, most of them weren't "unreleased" at all, but you get the gist. Vintage Tech came out in early 2005, the last Strange Music project to be released in conjunction with MSC before they went completely independent, and was an 18 track release of songs that featured Tech narrating from start to finish on each song's origin and its reason for not being released. This can make a listen to the project on shuffle a bit of a pain, but when you're going through the project as a whole it's clear that the idea is actually pretty bloody great - Tech's always been kind to his fans, and tell me what other artist actually narrates their own compilation? You didn't see Nas do that on The Lost Tapes, did you?

Since Tech obviously put a decent amount of work into putting this one together, I thought it only right to cover it on here, even though it's not really a studio album at all. I won't necessarily spend as long talking about the songs on this project (especially since there's quite a few I've already covered), but I do need the practice anyway for writing about the next few 30+ track Tech albums that are coming up in his catalogue. Man, this guy's albums are long. Tech, would it kill you to release a 10 track album once in a while? Because I seriously think that would help!

1. Lost Lair Of B'Zle (prod. Robert Rebeck)

The compilation begins with a ridiculous intro that aims to hype the rest of this project into oblivion. We go from two men sneaking into Brian B'Zle Dennis' house to find the masters for Tech's unreleased music, which ends in a stupidly dramatic way, to then suddenly being at a Tech concert, and then everything goes crazy. There's music, chanting, everything. This intro is absolutely ridiculous. It's cool, though, and quite incredibly creepy towards the end with the reversed vocal effects and intense music. After the rawkus dies down, Tech begins the narration, where he uses a staticky vocal effect to make it appear to the listener as though he is on the other side of a walkie-talkie. Why rappers like to do this I don't know, but whatever. This is a cool intro, but a bit overdramatic considering what this album is - a compilation.

2. Monster (prod. Don Juan)

Kicking things off with an actually unreleased song, this one was supposedly made for some soundtrack, but never made the cut because Tech wasn't mainstream enough. You can kind of see why this brutal song painting Tech as a drug-dealing, teacher fucking, reefer smoking "monster" was left off of the Wizard Of Oz soundtrack (I think that's what he said it was - the static made it difficult to tell), but nonetheless it's a good thing this song saw release eventually, as it is bloody great. Don Juan's instrumental is intense and sounds old-school in a great way, meanwhile Tech's slightly higher-pitched yet eerily robotic early years voice works perfectly on the song. The verses on this one are fantastic, as is the chorus, which has this dope pitched down voice reciting the title throughout. There's not much you can criticise here - the song is fantastic, and surprisingly blows a lot of The Calm Before the Storm: Part 1 and The Worst out of the water. This song is sick. 

3. S.H.E. (Seductive Human Erotica) (prod. Robert Rebeck)

A shorter track that features the same metal-esque guitar riff you can hear in Ice Cube's "Limos, Demos & Bimbos" off of the War & Peace Vol. 1 album - any fan of early, pre-Anghellic Tech should without a doubt go check that album out by the way, as it has a similar vibe to that sound. This particular song isn't brilliant, however, as Tech's distorted vocals grate throughout, especially during the erratic chorus, and while the beat is cool it makes this song seem unintentionally horrifying, when the lyrics aren't scary at all - they're about Tech being seduced by strippers, causing his marriage to break down. The song isn't bad, but it's way too over-the-top to really be enjoyable to me. I would understand why the metalhead side of Tech's fanbase would enjoy this one, though. 

4. Save Yourself (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko) (prod. Tech N9ne, Big Krizz Kaliko & Icy Roc Kravyn)

A quick interlude with Krizz telling a prostitute to save herself from that life, to the tune of one of those Christmas songs that everyone knows but can't tell you the name of. Shit is weird, man. 

5. Now It's On (feat. Lejo) (prod. The Weirdo)

I know I made it clear that there's a lot of songs on here that had already been released, but I will say that the first half of this thing doesn't make that clear at all - up to track seven, there's only one song that had previously appeared on a Tech album, that being this track right here. I already covered this song when I did my The Calm Before the Storm: Part 1 review (all my Tech reviews will be linked at the bottom), so go check that out for a more detailed analysis. If you can't be bothered to do that though, I'll give you the run down now - this song is fuckin' dope! "Don't test me BEATRICE!"

6. Be Jealous (prod. Super Dave)

Intended for some incredibly obscure compilation, this is easily one of the least polished songs in the entire Tech catalogue. And it's.... pretty good. After a weird sung opening that sounds jokey and tacky (like a lot of singing in hip-hop until the mid-2000s, if we're being honest), Tech comes in and absolutely murks this beat, which is pretty good, even if it sounds like it was made using whatever piece of tat Super Dave could find in the local charity shop (do they have charity shops in America? Am I an idiot for asking that?). Some of Tech's better flows on this whole compilation come on here, especially on lines such as "here the pain come, nigga with a bang, I'm a killer, better duck motherfucker", and the lyrics about Agginy are pretty interesting too - it seems they had squashed their beef by 2007, since she showed up on Tech's Misery Loves Kompany album. However, the song is held back by the terrible chorus, and surprisingly by being a little too intense - tension is great, but when it doesn't let up through the whole thing this song can start to feel like a barrage of noise more than a rap song. I still like it a lot, but it's definitely got it's flaws. 

7. Red Necro (prod. The Weirdo)

This song was presumably recorded for Tech's unreleased Be Warned album (since he actually says "be warned" during the song), and the controversial subject matter on the track was probably one of the reasons why that album was blocked from being released. This song is still probably the best song here though, at least out of the tracks not on other Tech albums. The instrumental from The Weirdo on here is perfectly bleak and disturbing for Tech's verses, which talk about his pure hatred for racist fucks who plague the United States Of America. During the first two, he tells two (presumably fictional) tales of running across racists, trying to remain calm, but eventually snapping after they get too physical with him and his friends. "I heard racists were dying, and I'm about to increase the ratio" is all you need to know about that. Then, the third verse laments on racism as a whole, and talks about the dire state the world must be in if there are still racists walking amongst us. This song is so good that it makes me wonder how the hell Tech doesn't get more props. Because let's be honest, if 2Pac, Nas or even The Game made this song, it would widely be regarded as one of the best hip-hop songs ever. Instead, it remains as one of the many bonuses of being a Tech fan - you get exposed to incredible, yet mostly unkown music like this. Seriously, check this out. 

8. The Grench (feat. Boy Big & Big Krizz Kaliko) (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

This song was originally on the bonus DVD from Absolute Power as Tech explains at length on the preceding interlude, and once again I've already reviewed this song. It is interesting, however, that Krizz gets credit this time for his chants in the background, which definitely help the song. Also, the song is phenomenal. Enough said. 

9. I'm a Playa (Remix) (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko) (prod. Robert Rebeck)

A more club-friendly (read: worse) take on Tech's classic "I'm a Playa". Yeah, there's not a whole lot of point to this, but it's still enjoyable since we've got the excellent Tech and Krizz vocals from the original. 

10. Trapped In a Psycho's Body (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

According to the tracklisting, you may think that this was just the exact same song that appeared on Absolute Power, but thankfully it's not (as Tech explains in the song's preceding interlude) - instead, this one features the original version of the chorus, before it was backmasked after the singer tragically passed away. I actually kind of prefer the original reversed vocals, as it gives the chorus a more creepy feeling, but it is true that these vocals mesh perfectly with the rest of the song. As for the track itself, it remains in my top 5 Tech songs, and most likely won't be leaving anytime soon. Go ahead and read the Absolute Power review for more detail. 

11. Freaky (prod. Don Juan)

Even though it says in the liner notes here that every unreleased song on this album was recorded between 1995 and 1999, I feel more like this particular one was made for the 2001 album Anghellic - it just has that sound to it, and the production sounds way different to anything on The Calm Before the Storm or The Worst. This track is about Tech's first exposures to the world of sex - from being taken to the cinema by his uncle to see an adult film at a very young age, to having sex when he was just 12 (!) years old. If you've seen interviews, then you'd know that this part is actually true. Most songs of this nature don't tend to work very well, but this one surprisingly does, and to a very large degree, all thanks to Tech's willingness to get as personal and specific as possible, which makes these lyrics always interesting, even if they're reversed for long portions of time. The chorus on here is dope too, with that chant of "Scorpios!" hitting a sweet spot, and the beat from Don Juan goes hard. Tech does kinda ruin things at the end by chanting out all of the star signs for some reason, and his flow towards the start of this song is admittedly a bit awkward, but that doesn't take away from its overall impact. This track is a banger. 

12. My Own Hell (prod. Don Juan)

One of the more personal and vulnerable songs of Tech's early career, this unreleased cut covers his plights with having multiple record labels fighting over him, having his friends want to go their separate ways, and having to deal with conflicts between his wife and his other female friends. There's quite a bit of pain and anxiety put into this one, which I appreciate, and it's very easy to see why the track never saw the light of day for years - because it happens to mention all of the labels Tech was affiliated with by name, so none of them would be willing to release it for fear of starting more fights with the other labels. The best thing about this one for me is the constant switch ups between the really laid-back instrumentals and vocals, going into far more intense anger and then back to calm for the chorus. It's a really creative song structure, made all the better by Tech's great lyrics and strong production from Don Juan. This song is really great. Also, this final line is sick: "But I'm tired of mediating, I'ma sit back and watch y'all kill each motherfuckin' other".

13. Victory (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

The second of three songs on here to be taken from the Absolute Power bonus disc, and also one of the best bangers in the Tech catalogue - I mean, just listen to the opening of this. Nuff said. 

14. Mitchell Bade (feat. Bakarii) (prod. Don Juan)

Now we're really just getting into the bit at the end of the album where nearly every song was already released. This song still bangs, but it's not like the hardcore Tech fans listening to this hadn't ever heard this before. Still, it is nice to have this track on CD. 

15. Strange (prod. Quincy D. Jones III)

The preceding interlude on this one serves as proof that Tech wasn't aware of the existence of The Worst: 2K Edition, the re-release of The Worst that came out in 2001 on MidWestSide Records. I mean, this song appeared on that project, but Tech certainly fails to mention the fact here. Whatever - this is yet another song I've already reviewed. 

16. Snake Ya (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko) (prod. Tekneko Bros. Productions)

Hey look! It's a song I haven't ever written about before! Great! Although Tech fans may well have heard this one anyway, since it's one of two songs he recorded for the soundtrack to the 2003 film Beef. The other song on there was actually called "Beef", but it's not one I've heard yet - maybe I'll check it out someday soon. That film was a documentary on the many beefs up to that point in hip-hop, but you wouldn't know that from this track, which is all about stealing your girl at the club, with a few references to snake charming to tie in with the weird, hypnotic beat used for the track. Aside from Tech's insistence on using a stupid voice for the chorus, this is actually a cool club banger, and could have been a minor hit had it appeared on one of Tech's actual albums. Krizz also drops a proper verse on here, which is cool - that guy is a good singer, but he's a seriously underrated rapper too. Yeah, as a whole this song is dope. 

17. Shocked (feat. Kutt Calhoun) (prod. RUBONYX)

The final song on here is another taken from the Absolute Power bonus disc, but I'm confused as to why - this really does not sound like a song to end an album. In fact, it's borderline album filler. I mean, it's not bad, but it most certainly isn't essential Tech music either. Still, whatever - at least the "sittin' in your ass water" intro is pretty hilarious. 

18. Outro

Using the staticky vocal effect he's used to introduce every song on here, Tech closes us out quickly and easily. There's also the sound of a vault being closed at the very end of this, which is cool. This is a fine way to end the project. 

Even if almost half of the songs on here were already released in not-so-secret places, I'd still recommend giving this compilation your full attention if you're a fan of early Tech N9ne music. This thing is great. I mean, there are only six actual new songs if you don't count interludes or tracks from The Calm Before the Storm: Part 1, The Worst: 2K Edition, Absolute Power and Beef Soundtrack, but nonetheless, these six songs are all pretty bloody great in their own ways. Plus, it's not like many people have The Calm Before the Storm on CD, nor can anyone play the Absolute Power bonus disc. AND Tech makes sure to give commentary throughout the album to let you know where exactly all these songs are from, and why they weren't or were released. I'm actually a big fan of this compilation, and would take it over a greatest hits any day. Why can't more artists do things like this? Ya hear me Jay-Z? Common? Anyone? Yeah, this is great. 

No point giving a best tracks: just make sure to track down "Monster", "S.H.E.", "Be Jealous", "Red Necro", "Freaky", "My Own Hell" and "Snake Ya" if you haven't heard them. 

Worst Track: "I'm a Playa (Remix)" - this really wasn't necessary

Catch up on all of my other Tech write-ups by clicking over here.

The Game - Doctor's Advocate

After the release of his debut album The Documentary, the humble and non-confrontational gentleman Jayceon Taylor, who us hip-hop fans refer to as The Game for some ridiculous reason, seemed to be on top of the world. After being put into a coma by way of bullet wounds back in 2000, in five years he had become one of the top selling rappers in the world, who had formed partnerships with the biggest clique in hip-hop G-Unit, the man often known as the genre's top producer Dr. Dre, and some of the other biggest names in the game at the time such as Eminem, Nate Dogg and Timbaland, to name a few. His music was being bumped in the clubs throughout America as well, and if you were to go 50 miles in a car without hearing "Hate It Or Love It", "Westside Story" or "How We Do", then you'd probably turned your radio off - or at least switched it over to the classical channel. At least, that seems to have been the case, as The Documentary sold well over a million copies in the US alone, and is generally regarded to have been the catalyst in reviving the hip-hop of the West Coast at a time where Eminem, 50 Cent and T.I. were running the airwaves. The Game went from a promising mixtape rapper to the face of the West within months, and it looked like he was about to take over the whole genre in the same way 50, Eminem and Jay-Z seemed to have in the past years before this. 

Unfortunately for The Game, he was The Game, and as such decided that in order to keep himself happy he must diss as many people as possible in various ways, retract said disses at the command of his boss, and then diss the same people again to repeat the cycle, almost like some kind of egotistical amnesia had befallen him during the recording of his major label debut. Quite a few people fell under his wrath, and eventually his boss 50 Cent decided that enough was enough, and fired him from G-Unit when the thought of Jay-Z coming after him and his camp became too much to bare any longer. Rather than command him to the office first thing Monday morning, however, 50 decided to break the news to Hot97 before Game himself, leading to a shoot-out that started one of the most prominent beefs in 2000s hip-hop, and one that it's easy to forget happened at all given the pair had such a good working relationship at first. This isn't really the place to cover the beef though, but it's worth mentioning that it did mean the end of Game's relationship with Dr. Dre (at least for the time being), which was most likely the inspiration behind this title, and was certainly the inspiration behind the song named after said title on here, which remains one of Game's more heartfelt performances to this day. And it's also worth mentioning that the beef led to Game being dropped from Aftermath altogether - he was moved over to Geffen records for his sophomore effort, something he probably wasn't too angry about considering the size of THAT label. 

The Game's second studio album was a much anticipated release even after the beef had settled down a bit, and even though there was no Dre and no 50 support this time around, Game still managed to generate buzz for this project through the singles, and also through the feature and producer list, which was, for lack of a better phrase, bloody stacked. Sharing the mic with Chuck (one of Game's favourite pseudonyms, in case you needed telling) were the likes of Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Xzibit, Nas, Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound, and pulled in for singing duties were Nate Dogg, will.i.am, Jamie Foxx and Marsha Ambrosius, but not Mary J. Blige, despite what the hype sticker may lead you to believe. Then behind the boards we had Just Blaze, Swizz Beatz, Scott Storch, Nottz, Hi-Tek, Mr. Porter and the aforementioned Kanye, a list which, despite its lack of Dre, arguably bettered that of The Documentary, depending on your taste in hip-hop. For me, I prefer this one - it presents some of the more laid-back beat-makers at the time (Swizzy notwithstanding), and manages to be highly intriguing without seeming overly expensive like The Documentary. Oh, and this album cover looks slightly better too, even though it's still, without question, a shirtless man sitting on wheels. At least the black background beats the bright white, eh?

I first listened to this album some years ago, but it's definitely one that I never really let slip by me completely, and I can still remember the whole thing well now (I last listened to it about two months ago I think). Admittedly, there's going to be an element of nostalgia here, but still there are elements of everything in every review anyway. And I don't think my thoughts were much different on first listen anyway - even back then I thought this album was-

Oop. Better not spoil the finish!

1. Lookin At You (feat. Mac Minister & Tracey Nelson) (prod. Ervin "EP" Pope)

The Game decides to open things up with a song that sounds exactly like something Dr. Dre would make, beginning what would eventually become a huge problem with the man's music - this guy is absolutely fucking obsessed with Dr. Dre. Obviously him and Dre did eventually become friends again around the time The R.E.D. Album came out in 2011, but it's difficult to understand why - wasn't Dre even the slightest bit annoyed at this guy's constant obsession over him? Game spends most of this song bragging about the fact that he was able to finish the album without Dr. Dre's help, neglecting to mention that... well... so did every other rapper that year! Thankfully, this song works thanks to Game's lightning flow, the excellent EP beat (which sounds Dre-ish, but whatever), and the very clever 50 Cent diss at the end which finishes the song on a great note. This song isn't perfect, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying it. 

2. Da Shit (feat. Tracey Nelson & Janeen Jasmine) (prod. DJ Khalil)

Before becoming one of the most obviously mainstream producers in the genre, DJ Khalil did actually make some pretty hardcore beats, this being one of them - this beat is nice, and the different sound effects throughout it make it one of the most interesting instrumentals on the whole LP. This song is supposedly about Game being a physical embodiment of the hypothetical that is: the shit - however, he spends much of the first verse simply telling us that he's from L.A. (oh, really, Game? I didn't know that!), and the third going on about a music video model nicknamed Super Head because... well, you know. And of course we can't get through one bar before Game mentions Dre again. However, once again Jayceon distracts from his often frustrating excuses for subject matter by rapping with a great flow and strong voice, alongside a brilliant beat and catchy hook (which I used to dislike but has now grown on me). Once again it's a solid song, but even people who think this is the best album of all time aren't going to argue that it has a better opening than The Documentary. Because it just doesn't. 

3. It's Okay (One Blood) (feat. Junior Reid) (prod. Reefa, co-prod. D Roc)

The lead single for this project, and probably the one that allowed for so much hype around this album in the first place - unlike the merely solid first two songs, this stuff is absolutely top tier, and arguably better than any of the singles from The Documentary (and yes, when you make the covers that similar, it's inevitable that I'll be making lots of comparisons between the two albums - like it or not, this is an obvious follow-up). Over an intense and brutal instrumental from some chap called Reefa, The Game re-introduces himself into the rap game here following what could have been a fall from grace that surprisingly wasn't thanks to the man's relentless song output and G-U-Not campaign that was prevalent during the battle. After winning the beef (yeah, I said it), Game shouldn't have had much to prove, but yet and still he had to come back swinging with a non-diss track, and decided the best way to do that was call a truce on the beef during this very song, albeit in the most nonchalant of ways - "I ain't got no beef with 50, no beef with Dre - what's beef when you're getting head in the six-trey?". And that's just one of many incredible bars on this track. Game also adds fuel to the ever non-existent fire of his beef with Jay-Z here in a line that aged as well as the music of 2009, but when it's surrounded by some of the dopest hip-hop from the West ever, it's difficult to focus on that small nitpick. This is an incredible song. Also, Junior Reid. Just yes. 

4. Compton (feat. will.i.am) (prod. will.i.am)

What is it with will.i.am.a.radio.pandering.twat showing up on actual hip-hop albums in the mid to late 2000s? I mean, he was on Nas' Hip Hop Is Dead, Murs' Murs For President, Common's Finding Forever, Busta Rhymes' The Big Bang, this, and I'm sure a few others that I'm forgetting too. I mean, if the music is always as good as this I'm fine with it, but still, it was an odd time. And yes, this music is great, and one of the dopest beats I've ever heard from this chap - not that he tends to slouch when producing for other artists. And while Will's voice is slightly annoying during the hook, the lyrics, flow pattern and melody all make up for that. And we haven't even got to talking about Game yet, who still hasn't managed to go a whole song without mentioning Dr. Dre's name, but at least cooks up some dope bars to compliment his great voice and flow on this track - "welcome to the city of G's / where we eat fried chicken, rice and black-eyed peas!". Yeah, this one is great. 

5. Remedy (prod. Just Blaze)

One of the shorter songs on this LP, "Remedy" is basically a follow-up to the previous album's "No More Fun and Games", as Game takes on a Just Blaze beat with an old-school feel for under three minutes, with a sample break popping in between each verse. This track is actually better than it's supposed predecessor, though, as I think Game clearly flows better on here, and has better lyrics, and also the samples aren't annoying as shit. This is actually one of the best songs on this album too, with the fact that Game mentions Dre in the first verse again notwithstanding. 

6. Let's Ride (prod. Scott Storch)

The much maligned second single for this album, which everyone hates due to the fact that The Game (probably) nabbed something from Scott Storch's "Dre leftovers" folder of beats for this track, and decided to imitate the good doctor's rapping style over it as well. I mean, there isn't much difference between this song and the opener by these regards, but whatever - despite the obvious biting, I still enjoy this one. Game sounds more menacing than ever on this instrumental, despite some rather corny bars and background singing being thrown in the verses for some reason, and he also does a great job with the hook, one of my favourites on the whole album. And in what sort of world does "it sounds like a Dre beat" not equate to a compliment? This song is an absolute banger, no question about it. 

7. Too Much (feat. Nate Dogg) (prod. Scott Storch)

Well, we were bound to run into a clunker at some point - The Game isn't really a good enough rapper to carry a song who's instrumental and chorus are less than great, and here that becomes evident. Nate Dogg is a fantastic singer, but his lyrics during the chorus on here are plain godawful, and Game's portion of this hook isn't much better - in fact, it's worse. Also, Scott Storch's bright, bouncy beat sounds generic as hell, and since nothing The Game says sticks (which isn't really a surprise), I can't recommend this one in any way. And is there going to be any song on here that doesn't name drop Dr. Dre? This song sucks, plain and simple. 

8. Wouldn't Get Far (feat. Kanye West) (prod. Kanye West)

After letting Kanye West produce the minor hit "Dreams" from his debut, Game returned the favour by dropping a verse and half a hook for Kanye's own 2005 album Late Registration, on the song "Crack Music". The fact that Kanye removed Game's entire verse on that song notwithstanding, it was clear that the pair had formed a pretty stellar working relationship, one that extends to the present day when both are regarded as arrogant and mentally unstable by the media, despite their musical abilities. That working relationship was none more evident than on "Wouldn't Get Far", a song where both artists have a similar yet equally great presence. This track, the third single from the album, is a fun song criticising women for having sex with lots of rappers for financial gain, since that's clearly not an ethical nor sustainable way to make a living. The topic may sound slightly cruel as I've written it out here, but both artists handle it well, with some nice verses name-dropping other stars to fit Game's style, complimented by a classic chipmunk soul Kanye beat. And, if the song itself didn't make it clear enough, Game spends the last minute of the song explaining its meaning to you in spoken word as the beat fades out, so that was nice of him. 

Note that this is the first song on the album not to mention Dr. Dre. In case you couldn't tell, that's not a good thing. 

9. Scream On Em (feat. Swizz Beatz) (prod. Swizz Beatz)

The second song in a row to feature the artist behind the boards, although in this case Swizzy's contribution is limited to the usual chorus ad-libs and an obnoxious yet unusually unphazed sounding scream which seems to make up most of the actual hook - yeah, this chorus is terrible. However, while no-one would really have been expecting it in 2006 (after his prime popularity but before his mid 2010's resurge in quality), Swizzy's intense instrumental on this one actually works really well, and while Game's musings on killing you, knowing your girlfriend a little too well and name-dropping every piece of media in existence are all nothing new, he does throw in some nice moments, like the nod to Jay-Z's "Streets Is Watching" and the last eight bars where he rhymes "bulding" a bunch of times to surprisingly great effect. This song is pretty solid, but would have been a lot better without Swizz Beatz' attempt at a chorus. 

10. One Night (feat. Andrea Martin) (prod. Nottz)

One of the more underrated producers in the game (get it?) Nottz provides a fantastically creepy instrumental on this one for The Game to air out some of his frustrations, beginning what is clearly supposed to be the "serious" portion of the album. The song is mainly about Game being pissed off with his old friends who seem to think he owes them something now that he's famous, and I definitely see where he's coming from there - he built his career by himself, so why should anyone else get a piece of the reward? There are two lines that really stick out to me on this one - firstly "remember the bullet holes in my son's car seat / my baby mama found four shells / I ain't get one "keep your head up", all I got was "keep it real"". This line really speaks to me, as it shows Game at a vulnerable position he feels he shouldn't be at as a man. It's a strong bar, and while the other one I wish to mention isn't as powerful, I still thought I would point it out for its rawness - "I'm supposed to enjoy this shit but it's quite clear / the last twelve months been a fuckin' nightmare". That's just great stuff, man. I should also mention Andrea Martin's stellar and catchy hook, which I only just now realised was sung by a woman - I had always thought it was a falsetto male singer for some reason. This song is easily one of the dopest here. 

11. Doctor's Advocate (feat. Busta Rhymes & Shorty) (prod. Jonathan "J.R." Rotem)

After dropping the man's name on all but two songs so far (that's "Wouldn't Get Far" and "Scream On Em", in case you're interested), Game finally decides to come out and admit his love for Andre Young - the guy completely forgoes his tough guy persona, and spends his two verses on this song admitting that despite his stubborn personality, he can admit that he wants to make up with Dre and work with him again. I've never heard a song like this before, where an artist explicitly apologises to an enemy in the industry on record, but then again there's a lot of hip-hop I'm yet to explore, so we'll see about that. The two verses are also spit whilst drunk to evoke memories of Game and Dre's earlier collaboration "Start From Scratch", and I also think that this is a pretty cool idea, with Game's delivery of bars such as "when Doc say it's a rap, it's a rap / it's still Aftermath, and ain't nothing after that" and "I told you, you was like a father to me - I meant that" being accentuated by his intoxicated nature. As for the other elements of this song - they're pretty bloody great. Busta Rhymes spits fire on here, as is to be expected in the era of the stellar The Big Bang, and the chorus and beat are some of the strongest on the album. It's probably no surprise that this is a top three song here - when he really focusses, The Game can make some of the best music out there. With quite a bit of help from others, of course, but still. Some of the best music out there...

12. Ol' English (feat. Dion) (prod. Hi-Tek)

After failing to create something entertaining for our host to work with on the last album, Hi-Tek tries his hand on a Game album again, and comes up with something a little better, even if this instrumental is a bit drab and electronic compared with some of Tek's other work. For some reason I never really used to like this one much - sure, it's got it's positives, such as Game's more personal and reflective content, but I dislike this hook a lot, and the instrumental does not keep any kind of good energy going throughout the track. I mean, I want to make it clear that this is one of Game's best performances, but for some reason the rest of this track doesn't hit for me. It's still good, don't shoot me!

13. California Vacation (feat. Snoop Dogg & Xzibit) (prod. Jonathan "J.R." Rotem)

A guest list sure to convince listeners in 2000 that they were in for a certified West Coast classic, and sure to convince listeners in 2006 that they were in for a song featuring two fairly washed up artists rap about things they clearly didn't do in their old age anymore. Seriously, Xzibit's Full Circle is a good album, but he really needed to switch things up with the content by then. Still, this collaboration here is undeniably a success - J.R. Rotem's beat, while dated, is the perfect thing for the clubs, and all three artists kill it, with X dominating the track in my (very biased) opinion. The chorus is catchy, all three MC's do great, and I'm a fan of the beat too. What more could I ask for?

14. Bang (feat. The Dogg Pound) (prod. Jellyroll)

Jelly Roll, the mastermind behind some of the weirder West Coast club beats of the mid 2000s, who now moonlights as a fat white hillbilly rapper (just kidding - but you have to admit them having the same name is a bit weird). This track definitely isn't a highlight on the album for me, but that said it certainly isn't bad. The instrumental that very clearly bites some of Dr. Dre's production techniques is pretty cool in my opinion, and if there comes a day where I'm averse to a back-and-forth style song then please don't recucitate - I just find this song to be pretty unmemorable. I mean, he has threatened to murder me about 30,000 times on this album already, so that might factor into it. 

15. Around the World (feat. Jamie Foxx) (prod. Mr. Porter, add-prod. Mike Chav)

Ugh. This song is quite easily one of the worst The Game has released, or at least it would be had he not continued doing these terrible R&B tracks all throughout his storied career. That's one of the reasons why The R.E.D. Album is so frustrating to me - he has a bunch of great music on there, but for some reason about 3/4 of the way in we're subjected to a run of horrible R&B style collaborations. This song here isn't offensively bad, but it's the blandness of it that makes it so whack to me. I mean, the chorus effectively brags about being a sugar daddy, and I think that's all you need to know about this one. 

16. Why You Hate the Game (feat. Nas, Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry, Andrea Martin & The 1500 Choir) (prod. Just Blaze)

The Game, being an arrogant prick *ahem* man who's very confident in his own abilities, decides his album is great enough to end with this eight minute epic that features a choir, the greatest rapper of all time (in my humble opinion, naturally) and announcements from producer Just Blaze, that seems to paint this cut as some sort of occasion to mark, rather than the final song on an album that, while very good, isn't that groundbreaking at all. I mean, surely even The Game himself knew that. This song itself is pretty excellent, though - Marsha Ambrosius provides a catchy and very poignant hook to break up the verses, and said verses themselves work excellently. Nas opens things up in his Hip Hop Is Dead era, and while that album (which I'm already nearly at in the Nasir catalogue) isn't really one of his best, this verse is still great, as he reflects on his influence on the rap game over his career, and the potent quality of his wardrobe, the latter point always making me laugh. Game himself makes two attempts to one-up Nas, but he can't do it - so what, the guy was young! And addicted to namedropping too, apparently. Still, I like his efforts on here, and while the song goes on for way too long after the verses themselves are used up, I still find a lot of enjoyment throughout this one. It's a very good way to end the album. 

The following song was a bonus track featured on some UK versions of this album. 

17. I'm Chillin (feat. will.i.am & Fergie) (prod. will.i.am)

Over a beat that sounds far more conventional for Will than what he cooked up on "Compton", Game gets his chill on, rapping about partying and lounging in the club. The results are alright, and Game's pre-chorus is pretty hilarious, but still it makes sense that this weird experiment was relegated to bonus track status. One will.i.am chorus is quite enough for me, thanks very much. 

All in all, while Doctor's Advocate follows a very similar formula to The Documentary, it still manages to be successful in creating a great listening experience - one that I believe to actually better that of Game's aforementioned debut. The main reason why I think this album succeeds more than The Documentary is the fact that The Game's rapping on here is way, way better than that on his debut. On here his voice is better, his lyrics actually have some substance to them and even the odd great punchline, and he does lessen the name-dropping on here, if to a smaller degree. Another reason why this album feels more enjoyable is its less commercial feel. While The Documentary had quite a few songs made just for the clubs, and multiple uninspiring love songs towards the end, Doctor's Advocate feels more like an album to be listened to as an album, with the one love song ("All Around the World") and the few club songs ("Let's Ride", "Too Much") not really standing out as much as they did on The Documentary. Well, that's my take on the topic, anyway. And finally, this album is more consistent - while The Documentary sequenced all of the very best songs at the start (letting a few of the other standouts seep further into the tracklist), this one spreads its highlights evenly throughout - and yes, this album has some very high highlights, just like Game's debut and most of his albums afterwards if we're being honest. Overall, Doctor's Advocate definitely stands as one of the best albums in The Game's catalogue to me, with great rapping and production throughout, and not too many weak points disrupting the flow of the record. This is a really good album, and The Game's career would only continue on a similar trajectory as we go through it. And before you get your hopes up, yes that does include the Dr. Dre namedrops. Sorry.

Best Tracks: Lookin At You, It's Okay (One Blood), Compton, Wouldn't Get Far, One Night, Doctor's Advocate, California Vacation, Why You Hate the Game

Worst Tracks: Too Much, Around the World

Catch up on other The Game related content over here!

Eminem - Slim Shady EP

After the release of the fairly mediocre Infinite (which, contrary to my expectations, I actually enjoyed less on my re-listen for the review), Eminem decided that he was going to need something a bit more interesting to work with for his next project. A white guy rapping about positivity with a flow stolen from AZ and Nas over some generic poppy beats from Denaun Porter wasn't cutting it for the general public, and with artists such as Busta Rhymes and Redman on the scene making wildly zany music to capture the attention of hip-hop heads, Em was going to need to find a way to stand out. 

Enter: Slim Shady.

Slim Shady was a ridiculous character that Eminem created to try and come across as an edgy maniac, and therefore appeal much more to his target listeners, who wanted something a bit different from the basic flows and lyrics that Infinite had (although I will admit that the rhyme schemes on that album were bloody impressive). Of course, anger at the shitty world he had been born into also played a part in the making of this character, we can't forget that. So, what to do with this alter ego? Well, Em got straight to work writing from the perspective of Slim, and what came out of it was an eight track EP released in 1997 into the Detroit underground. Slim Shady EP. The album that got Em recognised by Dr. Dre. 

As a huge Eminem fan for many years, I saw Slim Shady EP as an incredibly important release, but also one that I didn't listen to a whole lot because the idea of actually buying a physical copy of this album was similar to throwing all of my money into a waterfall in return for six songs and two skits that weren't even that phenomenal in the first place. I mean, have you seen how much this thing goes for? Not having a CD of this project meant I didn't listen to it a huge amount even in my Eminem phase, and outside of my Eminem phase it's been pretty much forgotten to me. Since I'm doing these discographies in order, though, I've gotta re-listen to this project, and I'm actually looking forward to going back into this thing. The cover is great, and from what I remember this is a pretty quick and easy listen, albeit an incredibly entertaining one at the same time. 

So, sit back and relax, as I dissect the very first ever outing of the character we would come to know and love as Slim Shady. 

1. Slim Shady (Intro) (prod. Eminem)

Incredibly intriguing intro which also serves to explain what the fuck is going on in the album cover. This is probably the best opening skit in the entire Eminem catalogue, which is pretty crazy considering on this album he had no budget or actors or anything. The only one that even comes close is "Dr. West". 

2. Low Down, Dirty (prod. Da Brigade, co-prod. Denine Porter)

Holy fuck the transition into this track from the last is good. This track is known for being the introduction of Slim Shady, but I mostly remember it for having a chorus that's pretty much a huge homage to Redman (one of my favourite MC's of all time, and one of the most underrated) with a little Notorious B.I.G. sample thrown in there too. I mean, not only do they sample a line from Red's "Soopaman Luva 3" on here, but Eminem also repeats a couplet from Red's "Rated "R"" for the other half of the chorus. Pretty interesting stuff. Anyway, the song itself is pretty great despite this, even if this doesn't seem to be quite as shocking as I know a lot of the other songs on here are. Eminem's lyrical ability seems even better here than it was on Infinite, and his personality shines through more too, even if his vocals sound like they were recorded in a sports hall they're so echoey. The beat from Da Brigade and Mr. Porter is also really stellar, and kind of reminds me of that on the title track from the last album, which is a good thing. This is a great way to open the album, and I very much appreciate any kind of love shown for Redman. I mean, that guy is a legend.

3. If I Had... (prod. DJ Rec)

Big fans of Eminem will know that half of the actual songs here went on to appear on Eminem's next album, his major label debut The Slim Shady LP. What's interesting is that two of them would have completely different instrumentals, meaning "If I Had..." is the only song that made it onto The Slim Shady LP completely unchanged from its form on here. For some reason I always used to dislike this song, but listening now I'm not sure why - the beat's not very interesting, sure, but Em's rhymes certainly are, and that chorus is absolutely iconic. I'll probably leave more thoughts on this one when I go on to do my review of The Slim Shady LP though, so stay tuned for that. 

4. Just Don't Give A Fuck (prod. Denine Porter)

The original version of this song, before it was re-produced to be released as a single in 1998, and then that version was added to The Slim Shady LP in 1999. This beat definitely isn't as good as the one that replaced it in my opinion, as it doesn't feel as dirty or gritty, and instead feels like creepy abandoned theme park music, but it's still alright and sets a decent mood for this creepy song. The rapping itself is aggressive and brutal, and is probably one of Em's best performances ever besides one or two slightly over-the-top lyrics - his flows are also on point, and unlike on most of Infinite he seems to be focusing on actual lyrical content here rather than just dope rhyme schemes. Again, I'll go more in-depth on this one when I review Em's proper debut, but man I've got to note how good this shit is. 

5. Mommy 

A skit consisting of the sound of Eminem dragging someone's body into his boot (or as you Americans call it, "trunk"). This leads directly into the next song. 

6. Just the Two Of Us (prod. DJ Head)

The original version of a song that would go on to be titled "'97 Bonnie & Clyde", and similar to "Just Don't Give a Fuck", this version of the song with a different beat doesn't work as well as the later rendition of the track. I just really dislike the beat here, and I think it's pretty obvious that the version which appeared on The Slim Shady LP had an instrumental that far better fit the tone of the track. That said, this song is still a masterpiece, and one of the darkest and most creative songs in the entire Eminem catalogue. Don't believe me? Just listen to it! Not this version, though - the 1999 one's a lot better.

7. No One's Iller (feat. Swift, Bizarre Kid & Fuzz) (prod. DJ Head)

For those that had heard The Slim Shady LP before checking this EP out (read: literally everyone), this would be the second completely new track after the first song, and it's worth the wait, as this early D12 posse cut is grimy, brutal, and emphasizes the implied nature of the group far more than both of their solo albums could ever hope to (even if neither of those were actually bad in my opinion). Swifty McVay starts this one off with a stellar verse that pretty much consists of dissing rival rappers in various ways, while Bizarre is surprisingly still completely ridiculous and vulgar, even this early in his career. That said, his verse here is actually pretty dope outside some of the more horrific imagery, and it honestly makes me want to check out his 1997 EP. That said, I still think Eminem has the best performance on the track, with a great verse that incorporates lines such as "new Lugz, that give the crew hugs, guzzle two mugs / before I do drugs that make me throw up like flu bugs". Oh, and Fuzz kinda ruins the end of the song by spending most of his verse talking about gay anal sex, but oh well - it doesn't take away from the fact that this is a fucking great track overall. 

8. Murder, Murder (prod. DJ Rec)

The final song on this EP features a poignant instrumental suitable for closing things out on - the drums on here actually remind me of those on Em's later hit "Like Toy Soldiers". However, since Em has gone full Slim Shady on this project, there's no somber reflections to be found on this track, but instead two tales of murder that both end badly for him - in the first, he's shot and killed by police, and in the second he's surrounded by the pigs. Admittedly, most rappers wouldn't admit to being caught in their crimes, but then again most rappers aren't late '90s Eminem. I wouldn't say this beat is one of my absolute favourites here, but I think Eminem's storytelling makes it worthwhile, and the scratching on the chorus is also a great touch. This is a dope song. 

While Slim Shady EP is a very short listen, it still serves as pretty much the perfect introduction to Eminem's alter ago, bringing the mania, great ear for beats, and more mania that the character was known for. This project, first of all, is a huge, huge step above Infinite - there isn't a single bad song to be found here, and furthermore, the highs of this project are better than the highs on Em's previous work - "Low Down, Dirty", "Just Don't Give a Fuck", "Just the Two Of Us" and "No One's Iller" are four absolute bangers that also have some of Em's most creative lines and concepts. And two of these were so good that he had to include them on his major label debut, albeit with slightly different beats since the ones on here sounded like carousel music. To be honest, though, the other two songs have some of the best beats I've heard Eminem rap over full stop - I love the underground, bass-filled sound, and I think Em and his fellow rappers compliment these styles very well. And bringing it to Eminem himself, his rapping on here is more charismatic and creative than ever before, and I think here is where he decided that he could sacrifice some of the crazy rhyme schemes on Infinite in exchange for having more interesting lyrical content, and it pays off well. In my opinion, this is Eminem's first truly great project, and what makes it better is that he would soon even further improve on this with some of his major label work. It's no wonder that this is the tape that made Dr. Dre sign a random white boy from the Midwest - it's fucking great. 

Best Tracks: Low Down Dirty, Just Don't Give a Fuck, Just the Two Of Us, No One's Iller

Worst Tracks: honestly, none. Even the skits are great!

Catch up on Eminem here, and be sure that there's a lot more to come about him too!